Surfboard for kitesurfing???

[blacktip]

Got to try a firewire 6'2 - 18 1/2, old modell.
Real pretty board to look at with the balsa rails. Very light, sturdy deck. The board was a testboard, still looked great though, no dents what so ever.


Im not much of an expert surfer, ride strapless. Here are some things i noticed.
41F, gusty 22-35kn, 5m kite, pooring rain
Coming from a cabrinha squad 6'1 - 18 1/2. I feel the fw is more of an advanced board. Squad is a fuller shape, more width on nose and tail. Making the fw a little less stable before its get up to plane, but I definitely felt its potential for more advanced surfing. It felt more natural placing my backfoot further back. The 6'2 feels very lively. Feels smaller than my squad. Feels powerfull in turning. Interesting. Well impressed by it.
Looking forward to some more stable conditions to find out its efficiency.

[mr moon]

My Firewire surfboard --- (notice that I said surfboard, NOT kiteboard) ---
has probably 100 days on he water.

I ride strapless on a shock absorbing deck pad,
and like to imagine that I'm just a regular paddle surfer on a wave.

Ride the wave and avoid slamming into chop.
It works for me.

=====================
I'm 6-0 and 175 pounds and just a happy FW customer. .
5-8 Dominator- Lightest wind
5-8 Alternator- Big days.
6-0 Quadraflex- A great one board quiver.
WW

Hiya.. may I ask which shock absorbing deck pad you have?

[windyway]

NSI in Hood River has what you need.
http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/v ... roduct=188

The waffle pattern is the best traction.
The preshaped pads are often too short or not wide enough,
so I start with a big flat sheet and cut my own template.

I went all out for the padz in the picture.
Double density, peel and stick with a kickpad,
and was approximately $100 with shipping.

[mr moon]

Is it this one here: http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/v ... roduct=193

Does 'dual density' mean that is actually thicker than the standard?

Thanks!

[hein]

A full pad can almost double the weight of the board. If you bring it too far out on the rail then it can drag in the water. Do I need to design a wider pad for NSI?

NSI offers the surf pad system which allows you to spread the individual pieces around to cover the width of your board. It is available with or w/o inserts and in three densities (thickness). Mixing colors can provide a custom look if that is important to you.



NSI also has clear grip tape which is great for areas between the front and rear pad and other areas outside the riding zone where you might want some traction. It weighs next to nothing and does not hold water.

[Dimitri M]

The best thing to do in order to save some money will be to use one of your old surf board that you have and buy some NSI pads (double layer thickness) this is what I do on all my prototype boards. Or go to any surf shop and buy a used surf board for around $125 to $225 and then stick these NSI pads on. This will be a very inexpensive way to get you on a nice surf board for kiting. But once again the surf boards are not built as strong as the surf boards made for Kiting, but still all KiteSurf boards are not meant to be jumped with.

[hein]

Grippy, Dimitri, grippy!
Looks like a slight bobble in the upper rail near the front fin.
Could be the lighting or maybe my eye is just too critical.

[windyway]

Is it this one here: http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/v ... roduct=193
Does 'dual density' mean that is actually thicker than the standard? Thanks!

Product --> http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/v ... 88#details

Yes, double. It makes your board feel like a soft top surfboard. Excessive, but I like it.

First time I rode a SUP, I liked the one piece continuous deck pad,
and realized this was what I wanted on my surfboard that I use for kiting.

The Firewire in the picture is a 5-8 Dominator surfboard, that I use for light winds or mushy waves.
It is a bit of an egg shape and nothing but an uncut sheet of material would cover it properly.
On this board, Hein's pad system would leave 2" gaps between pieces, due to the extra tail width and the wider stance necessary for riding strapless.
Making my own template was a great success. Worked great on my skim board too.

[scruzkiter]

Any of the kiteboards from Firewire work excellent for surfing. The firewire surfboards will not however hold up for kiting.

Firewire is continually working on reducing weight. In fact, the latest batch of firewire's are less weight already and surf like a charm. Traditionally, firewire surfboards in general are lighter than any other PU surfboard on the market...so the kiteboards actually somewhat feel similar to a normal PU board, if that makes sense.

The firewire kite models will not break...and they will last for seasons and seasons. If you want a board that lasts for both surfing and more importantly the abuse of kiting, try a firewire.

The firewire website also points out the volume if you enter your weight and all the kite models fall for the general population in regards to the correct volume.

[mr moon]

I wonder whether a Firewire board with a double density pad will make a real soft and lively ride?

I'm also looking into F-One bamboo series but they seem very rigid...

I need a board with a good flex as mine has got none!